The fifth path-formulation names the four foundations of mindfulness — body, feelings, mind, and principles — as a single group rather than the four separately spelled out, the first of this vagga's own five discourses (SN 43.5–9) that simply names a standard fourfold or fivefold list by its own collective term without unpacking any member.
Reading guide
A named group, not spelled out
“Cattāro satipaṭṭhānā” — “the four kinds of mindfulness meditation” — is simply named as one item, its own four members (body, feelings, mind, and principles) presupposed rather than listed individually, confirmed by reading the source directly rather than assumed from the vagga's own brevity elsewhere.
The pattern this vagga now settles into
SN 43.5 through SN 43.9 will each name one standard numbered list this way — the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers — before SN 43.10's seven awakening factors and SN 43.11's own eightfold path close the vagga.
Key terms
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā — “the four kinds of mindfulness meditation” — named here as one group, its own four members not individually listed
kāya — “the body” — the first of the four foundations, presupposed rather than named in this discourse's own text
vedanā, citta, dhammā — “feelings, mind, principles” — the remaining three foundations, likewise presupposed rather than listed here
asaṅkhatagāmimaggo — “the path that leads to the unconditioned” — the question this discourse opens directly on
pañcamaṁ — “fifth” — this vagga's own internal count-marker, left untranslated in the root
The text
The complete discourse, as genuinely translated — this vagga's own compressed form. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“And what is the path that leads to the unconditioned? The four kinds of mindfulness meditation. …”
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Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 3
What does this discourse name as "the path that leads to the unconditioned"?
Correct: A. Named collectively — body, feelings, mind, and principles are presupposed, not individually listed in this discourse's own text.
Question 2 of 3
What pattern does SN 43.5 begin within this vagga?
Correct: A. SN 43.5-9 each name one standard list — the four foundations, four right efforts, four bases of psychic power, five faculties, five powers.
Question 3 of 3
How many members does the fourfold list in this discourse have?
Correct: A. The classic four foundations of mindfulness, though not individually spelled out in this particular discourse's own compressed text.
